Breathe Forward Award
Well-being, Health and Biomedical Discovery
Deadlines
Academic Unit: Inquire with unit
Memorial Deadline: Tuesday 13th, October 2026
External Deadline: Friday 16th, October 2026
Description
Lung Cancer Canada is proud to announce the launch of the Breathe Forward Award, a new $200,000 national funding opportunity designed to accelerate innovative solutions that improve the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Made possible through the generous support of Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, the inaugural Award represents a significant new investment in addressing one of the most pressing challenges in lung cancer care: ensuring patients receive a timely and accurate diagnosis.
Each year, an estimated 32,900 Canadians are diagnosed with lung cancer, while approximately 19,300 people die from the disease, making it the leading cause of cancer death in Canada. Despite advances in treatment, nearly 70% of lung cancers are still diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment is often more complex and outcomes are poorer.
Diagnosis is not a single event. Patients move through a complex pathway that may include suspicion, referral, imaging, biopsy, pathology, biomarker testing, and treatment readiness. Delays can occur at any point and often accumulate across the diagnostic journey, delaying treatment decisions and affecting patient outcomes.
The Breathe Forward Award is designed to support practical, scalable solutions that can be piloted, implemented, adapted, or evaluated in real-world settings. It is intended to generate evidence, practical insights, and scalable approaches that can inform future research, advocacy, policy, and health system improvement across Canada. Researchers, clinicians, health system leaders, quality improvement and implementation teams, health system innovators, and multidisciplinary collaborations are encouraged to apply.
RESEARCH FOCUS: Projects may focus on one or both of the following challenge areas:
- System-Level Infrastructure & Equity – Improving visibility into diagnostic timelines to identify variation, inequities, and opportunities for system improvement.
- Diagnostic Pathways & Process Optimization – Optimizing diagnostic pathways and coordination to reduce delays and improve the consistency and quality of diagnosis.
DEADLINE: October 16, 2026 @ 11:59pm PST
FUNDING AVAILABLE: Lung Cancer Canada intends to fund one high-impact project with a $200,000 award. To maintain flexibility and maximize impact, Lung Cancer Canada reserves the right to divide the $200,000 funding pool across more than one project should the adjudication process identify multiple exceptional proposals.
Applicants are asked to provide:
- A full implementation budget based on $200,000
- A scaled implementation budget based on $100,000
- Expected outcomes and deliverables under each funding scenario
Projects will be supported over a 12-month implementation period.
For More Information & To Apply:
https://lungcancercanada.ca/about-us/research-program/the-breathe-forward-award/